International Women's Day Experts 🌎

Looking for an International Women's Day-themed story to tell? We have suggestions: 

Dr. Whitney Wood is VIU’s Canada Research Chair in the Historical Dimensions of Women’s Health. She is currently researching pelvic health histories to help address gaps and inequities in care. She is available to chat about this topic and women’s history/women’s health/gender and health in general.

History Professor Dr. Cheryl Warsh is currently writing a book about Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey. Frances Oldham Kelsey, born on Vancouver Island and one of Canada’s first female pharmacologists, prevented the deadly sedative thalidomide from entering the American market. As a result, she was one of the most famous women in the world in 1962. A pioneering researcher in the field of embryology, she also oversaw the regulation of other drugs that harmed pregnant women and their fetuses, including diethylstilbestrol.

Nanaimo author and VIU Creative Writing Professor Susan Juby’s latest book, A Meditation on Murder, has cracked the top 10 of several bestseller lists. The book was listed at No. 10 in the Toronto Star, No. 9 in the Globe and Mail, No. 6 in the Vancouver Sun international bestsellers and No. 10 in Canadian Fiction in independent bookstores. A Meditation on Murder is the second book in the Helen Thorpe, butler-detective series and the sequel to Mindful of Murder. Juby is available to discuss her latest book.

International Women's Day at VIU 

Eliza Gardiner, Chair of VIU Faculty Association’s Women’s and Gender Equity Committee and Theatre Professor, is available to speak about the activities happening at VIU and the work of the committee.

Everyone is welcome to attend this year’s International Women’s Day event on Friday, March 8 at VIU. It’s a day to celebrate women’s and girls’ achievements, raise awareness about discrimination and take action to drive gender parity. This year’s international theme is Inspire Inclusion. Canada’s theme is Invest in women: Accelerate progress.
 
The VIU event runs from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm in the Royal Arbutus Room, Building 300 above the upper cafeteria, at the Nanaimo campus. Activities include:

• Info tables and light refreshments from 11:30 am to 12 pm.
• Faculty and student guest speakers, musicians and poets will speak and perform about topics connected to the Inspire Inclusion theme from noon to 12:30 pm
• A Healthy Relationships workshop facilitated by Tanile Gaib, is from 12:30 to 2 pm. After the workshop, there will be mingling and refreshments.

The event is a collaboration between the VIU Faculty Association’s Women’s and Gender Equity Committee, VIU Thrive, the Positive Space Alliance and VIU’s Sexual Violence Training, Education and Prevention committee.